Pre-Patterns for Designing Embodied Interactions in Handheld Augmented Reality Games
The paper talks about the research of design patterns and principles in reality based interfaces such as Handheld Augmented Reality (HAR) interfaces, which create embodied game play experiences. Being a fairly recent and evolving field, design patterns for HAR are referred to as “Pre-design” patterns and compared to the conventional Software Engineering design patterns which solve well defined problems and tasks, the HAR Pre-design patterns focus on experiential aspect of game design. It involves studying the affordances and constraints of AR interfaces and try bridge gap between interaction and game design.
The nine kind of Pre-design patterns being discussed are: Device Metaphors, Control mapping, Seamful design, World consistency, Landmarks, Personal presence, Living creatures, Body constraints and Hidden information. These patterns help game designers to help design basic framework of their game(s) and utilize the embodied interactions with physical world and corresponding cognitive learning of players. Such different aspects of AR experiences could help create engaging AR gaming interactions.
Task Gallery
The paper talks about the Task gallery – an interactive 3D graphics extension of desktop metaphor that provides task management and document comparison interactions. The main tasks involved in task management are creating, locating and navigating between different tasks. In task gallery, the current task is placed on a stage in a virtual gallery. Other tasks are placed on floor, walls and ceiling of the gallery. Clicking a new task moves it to the stage.
The Task gallery relies on spatial framework for encoding location information and front/back relationships, thus utilizing user’s spatial memory for task management and the interactions provide natural and intuitive scaling. It uses a series of Rooms to layout tasks in an alphabetical order. Along with grouping task windows into mounted pieces of artwork, constrained navigation and distinctive background, Animation is also used to provide spatial cues and feedback. For example, with a new task being clicked, the existing moves back to its frame and new one moves to the stage. The gallery provides windows stack and menu controls to the user to control and manipulate the current task on stage. The paper also talks about the user studies carried out on the iterative prototypes – to fix usability issues, understand how spatial memory helps in locating objects in 3D environment and how well could users create and modify tasks through the overall interface.